The present invention relates to a stove apparatus for the combustion of solid fuel, such as wood logs, to provide heat for a dwelling or the like and, more particularly, to such a stove apparatus having walls joined together in a substantially airtight manner to form a firebox and heat chamber thereabove with an air-supply manifold provided with a plurality of spaced-apart, air-discharge openings to direct streams of heated air toward the fuel while supported in the firebox for the combustion process. The present invention further provides an improved access door to permit the loading of solid fuel into the firebox onto support rails having steel covers wherein the access door includes a frame with openings to feed an air supply into a space between high-temperature glass or the like and prevent deposits of material on the glass surface.
Known designs of wood-burning stoves failed to provide adequate control of the air supply to control the combustion process. Slide or rotary plate members were usually positioned at a convenient location sometimes dictated only to satisfy the aesthetic appearance for controlling a supply of air. One or more logs used for fuel are usually supported on a grating or directly on a fire-resistant floor space at a site which is distally spaced sometimes by as much as 10-12 inches from the opening provided to deliver the necessary air for combustion. Since the space within the stove walls is usually subject to a chimney draft, control of the air supply for the combustion process was erratic and fuel was consumed at a wastefully-excessive rate.
The present invention is based, in part, on the discovery that not only is it necessary to control the quantities of air which are supplied into a wood stove but also that the air supplies must be conducted to a point closely adjacent the supply of wood fuel for an effective control of the combustion process. A wood stove of this type must, therefore, be not only of robust construction for longevity but also the walls must be joined together in a substantially airtight manner. To enhance the aesthetic appeal provided by a burning wood stove, a hinged door has been provided in the past with a glass panel. The panel usually became opaque after a very short period of operation due to an accumulation of creosote, tar and other products liberated from the wood fuel during combustion. Cleaning of the glass panel can only be effected by access to the surface thereof directed toward the interior of the stove. The door, therefore, must be open during the time the surface of the glass is cleaned which substantially eliminates control of the combustion process and may even permit smoke emissions from the stove through the door opening. Thus, another aspect of the present invention is directed to providing an improved construction of an access door to prevent or at least minimize the accumulation of foreign matter on the internal face surface of a glass or other transparent panel.